I noticed the other day when I filled up with gas that I was paying more than before. At 127 yen/liter, at today's exchange rate, that's about US$4.37/gallon.
Considering, though, that 10 years ago the price was about 99 yen/liter, at the exchange rate at the time it was $3.84/gallon. So, in 10 years, gas prices here have gone up about 30% in local (yen-priced) terms, and 11% in global (dollar-priced) terms.
Now consider America: gas at the station near our Cupertino house is currently $2.71/gallon. I don't know what US gas cost 10 years ago (I was in Japan), but I know that I've paid less than $0.99/gallon at that station since then (in about 1999 or 2000). So, gas in America has almost tripled in the last 10-or-so years.
I don't know what to make of these numbers... just noticing that it's odd. Maybe the US market price is catching up with the world market price....
I think that “$0.99/gal” price may pre-date 1999/2000 … in fact, I can’t remember ever seeing gas that cheap since I moved to CA in late ‘98.
Maybe this was 97-98 you saw that pricing?
Doesn’t invalidate the “prices have tripled” logic, really, but just a revision.
I came to USA in Oct 98. And I have filled up at $.97 at costco gas stations in early 1999 as well.
Ah yes, gas prices….higher in Canada, as always, so be forewarned.
But, in France I remember seeing it anywhere between US$5.50/gallon and US$6.25/gallon at the beginning of August 2005.
In El Paso, in June 1999, I paid a whopping US$0.87/gallon. I’ll never forget how cheap that was!
On channel 4 news last night in Utah they did a story about a new website that mapped the gas prices for your area. The name of the website is www.mapgasprices.com. It’s done by the same people that did the mapsexoffenders.com website a couple of months ago. Does anyone know of any other resources for watching the gas prices?